An estimated 440,000 people in the United States are killed every year by hospital, physician, or nurse errors. Medical errors rank third among the most common causes of death in the country. According to the US Bureau of Justice Statistics, approximately 50% of all the medical malpractice cases that are pursued by patients are against their surgeons.
Cancer is one of the major causes of death in the United States as well as across the globe. In 2012, there were 14 million new cancer cases and 8.2 million cancer-related deaths worldwide. Statistics reveal that there will be an estimated 1,685,210 new cases of cancer in the United States and 595,690 deaths caused by the disease in 2016. Within the next two decades, the number of new cancer cases will rise to 22 million.
In 2014, statistics showed that the rate of ectopic pregnancy was 19.7 cases per 1,000 pregnancies in North America and it is one of the leading causes of maternal mortality in the first trimester. 9% of all pregnancy deaths are caused by an ectopic pregnancy.
New York residents might be surprised to learn that patients who are deemed “difficult” by doctors are at increased risk for a misdiagnosis, according to two new studies published in the journal BMJ Quality and Safety. Researchers say the reason is that physicians faced with difficult patients are more likely to be distracted from their clinical work, particularly when dealing with complex medical cases.
When it comes to medical malpractice claims, the estimates of success rates vary, but it has been found that 20 percent to 30 percent of injured persons in these types of cases prevail. According to the highest estimates, a third of medical malpractice cases are decided in favor of the plaintiff, or the patient.
